Friday, February 29, 2008

I'm having a great time at Shorty's Strickly Bluegrass Festival. A couple friends of Shorty's showed me a trick that will let me keep up with a jam session without – and this is a direct quote – "annoying people" with my newbieness.

That wasn't a comment about my personal skill level; they hadn't heard me play, yet. It was a laying-down-the-law that is part of the background chatter that happens at public jam sessions: the experienced jammers informing their juniors about jam etiquette. (Other pieces of jam etiquette: don't bogart the melody, let everyone who plays your instrument have their share of playing time, let everyone have a turn at choosing the song.)

The trick – which they called "popping" – is this:

With your bluegrass finger picks, pluck strings 1, 2 and 3, all at once, on the beat.

Fret the chords by pressing to the neck as usual but, at the same time that you pluck the strings, pull your fretting fingers away from the neck just a little bit.

The goal is to play the chord, but to have your fretting fingers resting on top of the strings after you pluck. This results in a muffled but accurate tone.

(If anyone knows a more commonly-used term for this technique than "popping" I'd love to know it.)

What does this have to do with jam etiquette? It lets the newbie learn the rhythm of the jam without introducing loud, inappropriate notes into the room. (And by "introducing loud, inappropriate notes into the room" I mean "annoying people".)

How, I hear you ask, do you play the chord that the banjo's tuned to? Suppose you're tuned to open G and you want to "pop" a G chord? In that case you start with your fingers resting on the strings (not pressing them to the neck) and pull them off as you pluck. Again: muffle, don't annoy.

I put this trick to the test and was able to play along with and really enjoy one of the the late-night jam sessions that followed last night's performance.

Here's a short video of the jam session that I took when they switched to the key of E, leaving me behind despite my new trick.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Imagine – as I did while watching the Oscars – that you are a collector of comic book T-shirts who has somehow wound up on the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre before the Academy Awards, being interviewed while wearing one of your shirts. How would you reply to the ubiquitous question, "Who are you wearing?"

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Looking for a cheap MP3 player? The Chicago-area Osco stores are dumping the Memorex MMP3642 for $9.99 (from a retail price of $59.99 or so).

Why so cheap? Because, I suspect, this unit's flaws are so strong that Memorex doesn't want to deal with it any more.

Here's a quick run-down of these flaws and how to get around them if you, like me, want your gadgets cheap.

The included software is lousy and it's been bought up and messed up by Yahoo!Workaround: Don't use the included sofware. You'll want to hang on to the install CD for the format utility (see the next item in this list), but aside from that don't install any of the software that comes with this gadget. You can use Windows Media Player or RealPlayer instead.

It doesn't come with a belt clip or anything like that.Workaround: It fits fine in the extra "cigarette lighter" pocket of your jeans.

Stopping or pausing a song means that, when you hit play again, the song starts at the beginning.Workaround: Yeah, if you're in the habit of pausing long podcasts you'll have to get used to using the fast-forward feature (which is accessed by holding the "next track" button down).

It uses a non-standard USB cable.Workaround: Yes, it does. If you want more than one USB cable you'll want to purchase a second unit.

It's got all kinds of other quirky flawsYes, it does. You're just going to have to live with the facts:

It doesn't work with SD card cards larger than 512MB.

When you put an SD card in, the player see only that card and doesn't see the music on the onboard 64MB of RAM.

Found Roedy Black's Musical Instrument Poster......comparing the musical ranges of a whole lot of instruments. It's got lots of other data, too. You can download a free version (PDF with watermarks) or you can purchase one, cheap.

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project -- J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

Another good lesson this week. Mike brought his fiddle and I used my newfound (and still unsteady) forward-roll-playin' skills to accompany him. He complimented me because I kept the accompaniment rolling even when he took off on a riff.

I used the appropriate terms there -- "accompany" and "accompaniment" -- but I was so pleased with myself that, to my mind, it was a duet.

Also in the last week:

It was too darned cold on Wednesday to go to the free Folk Fest Kick-Off at University of Chicago, so my banjo and I stayed in our warm apartment.

I Googled across the Jenks Banjo Band. As far as I can tell, the band's only available recording is a track on the 2002 "Forever Everton" CD, a tribute to the Everton Football Club in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. I listened to the preview and heard a little banjo, but mostly tambourine. Perhaps the lead singer has a Banjo-Tam?

Thursday, February 7, 2008

I'd like the sig line for my posts at the Banjo Hangout to be a Latin phrase that loosely translates as "Keep on plucking!" or "Pluck 'til you drop!" or something to that effect. I want to command the reader to play (the banjo) and to keep doing it. Kind of like the Marine's motto semper fidelis but meaning "always pluck" instead of "always faithful."

Let me simplify: How do you say "Pluck forever!" in Latin?

The verb "pluck"

It's been a long time since my college Latin. I know that the "plucking" in "Keep on plucking" is a geruned, but I think that I want it to be a command, so the mood should be imperative ("Pluck!") as opposed to indicative ("You are plucking.") or subjunctive ("Let him pluck.").

I can’t remember any resolutions -- if I even made them -- for 2006 and prior (“3. Write Down Your Goals”).

Last year’s resolution, “Be a better servant,” was vague (“1. Think of Your Resolutions as Goals”) so I don’t think I can claim credit for it, but I *think* I did an okay job at keeping it. At any rate, I was better off for having made that resolution.

Perhaps I can extrapolate from my Lenten habits. For the last 20 years I’ve managed to give up something for Lent and to stick with it for the full 46 days. Usually I give up junk food. 20 years ago, I gave up meat for Lent and never started back up again.

So if I total up the last 20 Lenten seasons I’ve kept a resolution for 20 * 46 = 920 days = 2.5 years. Does that count?

J.R. Jenks

Since that time, I've come to wonder whether "Just Curious" had my best interests at heart when he asked that question. I've heard that he's talking about starting a when-will-J.R.-break-his-resolution betting pool. Hmph.

Monday, February 4, 2008

A weekly check-in on the Banjo versus TV project -- J.R.'s resolution to spend more time in 2008 on his banjo than on TV.

After the shaming that my instructor, Mike, gave me at the lastcouple of lessons, it was a treat for both of us that . . . I sounded good this time!!!

Really! About four days before my lesson, my forward roll kicked in. I experienced that moment of learning when my fingers just started playing it on their own. My basal ganglia said to me, "J.R., I'll take it from here."

So the lesson was wonderful. Mike said he was so pleased at what I'd accomplished. We played some duets and he said -- honest! -- "I actually had fun playing with you."

And all was right with the world.

Also in the last week:

Attributed to Pete Wernick aka Doctor Banjo: "NO! Try it again! LOOP THAT PHRASE!!!! Don't you know an amateur will play it until they get it right, PROFESSIONALS PLAY IT UNTIL THEY CANNOT GET IT WRONG."